WRITING FOR CHILDREN
MAKE IT SHINE:
Five ways to polish your middle-grade manuscript
In par t two of her mini-series on how to make your middle grade submissions stand out, Amy Sparkes looks at the questions – and answers! – your manuscript needs to pose
These days, editors and agents expect a very high standard of work in the submissions they receive so it’s important to have your middle-grade manuscripts as polished as they can possibly be. From my experience of reading many manuscripts (as well as creating my own work), there are some common areas in middle-grade writing which could be tightened up.
Last month we looked at beginnings and pacing in middle-grade. In the final part of this mini-series, we examine dramatic questions, thematic questions and creating the perfect ending. Buckle up, and let’s go.
DRAMATIC QUESTION
The central dramatic question is the essence of your story. It is raised soon after a book starts and kickstarts the story and once it is answered, the story ends. It is the single driving force behind the narrative, usually with a clear external goal the main character wants to achieve.
Will ‘character’ find her kidnapped sister?
Will ‘character’ defeat the Dark Lord?
Will ‘character’ find the antidote to save his mother’s life? But sometimes there are problems with it.
1) Lacking a central conflict
Some stories lack this clear central conflict. What is the character actually trying to do? It’s not enough to have the character exploring the world around them, hanging out with other characters and thinking. They need conflict to push against, motivation to act and drive to propel the story forward with their choices and actions.